Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,57

really?” she asks. “It feels like you were keeping each other at a distance. In my experience—watching others dating—when things get so serious, they... Never mind, maybe I’ve been hanging out with Persy for too long.”

“Almost all your life,” I joke, and wink at her.

“My point is that I appreciate what you’re doing for me and the little berry.”

I smirk.

“What did I say?” she asks, wiping her mouth and tucking her hair. “Do I have something—”

“You call the baby berry.”

“Well, it’s a lot better than not having a name,” she answers. “After hearing you call her blueberry it just…I don’t know. It sounds catchy. Next week it is raspberry so I might as well stick to something for two weeks.”

“So, do you think you’re having a girl or hoping that the baby is a girl?” I ask.

She frowns and scrunches her nose. “Neither one, but you’re right I keep calling the baby a she. This tiny one needs a name, so I stop stereotyping it.”

I suggest other names and she’s laughing at every stupid thing I mention. Fetus Cletus is her least favorite.

“You can call it B.o.B.,” I suggest.

“Battery operated boyfriend?” she asks, and I laugh.

“No, baby on board,” I clarify, but still laugh because I should’ve thought about the first one before I opened my mouth.

When we’re done eating breakfast, I say, “I’m heading to the office, but text me if you need anything.”

“Like double chocolate ice cream?” she asks, giving me a mischievous smile.

“Are you craving ice cream?”

“No, but I’d like to know what the limits are,” she explains.

“Anything goes. You’re my guest and I’m committed to providing you with anything you need while you stay with me.”

“For what’s worth it, Bronwyn missed a great man.”

“Did she?” I ask. “Maybe I was a terrible boyfriend.”

“If you had been that terrible, she wouldn’t have tried to pass Wyatt as yours,” she suggests, and I wonder if she’s right.

Before Bronwyn, I’ve never had a long-term relationship, and after her, I slept my way around the world. Now, I don’t even know what I want when it comes to my romantic life. Is it even worth it to put myself out there?

My life is good. I don’t have the time or space to contemplate the possibility of another heartbreak. There’s nothing I can offer, and I’m pretty sure love is about reciprocating. I’m content. No, I’m happy, living my best life.

“Maybe I was a shitty guy, but I had money and that was enough for her.”

“Were you the perfect boyfriend? I can’t answer you that question, but maybe she could’ve talked to you about what she was feeling, what she was missing, or how she wanted the relationship to be. Some people don’t like monogamous relationships, and if that’s the case, they should be looking for someone who shares her ideologies and not… I’m sorry. I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

I shake my head, “Everything you say and ask is valid.”

Those are the questions I should’ve asked back then. Why is it that during that period I just took whatever Bronwyn gave me without inquiring anything further?

“Again, call me if you need me,” I repeat, kissing the top of her head.

“Frozen yogurt when you’re on your way back home,” she calls after me, and I smile wondering if she’s trying me or dead serious about the craving.

Twenty-Three

Nate

On my way to the office, I receive a call from Ford.

“T’sup?” I answer through the Bluetooth.

“Are you twenty?” he mocks me.

“Ford,” I grunt. “I’m not in the mood to deal with crap.”

“Did a mean kid bully you in the sandbox?” His taunting tone is not sitting well.

My assistant just called to let me know that I received a package from the New York office. A package from Bronwyn, to be exact. She doesn’t know where I live, but she can still reach me through my corporate offices.

What does she want now?

The last time she sent something was over the holidays. It was an ornament Wyatt made especially for me. Also, a request for a loan. She’s still freelancing because paying childcare so she can go to work isn’t worth it, and I made her quit.

He’s five. Shouldn’t he be in school already? How would I know? He’s not my kid, and I’m not privy to what he does. I didn’t fall for her blackmailing, nor will I fall for it this time. She’s lucky I didn’t take away the trust fund I set up for him when he was born, which he can’t touch